2000 Domaine Rene Leclerc Gevrey Chambertin Combe Aux Moines: Only the second wine from Rene Leclerc that we’ve had the pleasure to enjoy (the first being an entry level 2000 Bourgogne), this slightly rusty ruby garnet is all about secondary characteristics at this point, with no real fruit component to describe; what it does offer is a mix of earthy forest floor, mushroom, leather, root beer, cola and old wood in both flavor and aroma. Medium full bodied, with moderate tannins and very good acids, the latter of which may do more to carry this for at least a few more years of evolution, because while it’s drinking well now, it has yet to reach its peak. Try again in 2010. Find this wine

Imported by NWS, Inc., Chicago, IL

2005 Hamilton Russell Walker Bay Pinot Noir, 14.1% alc., $26.99: After taking such delight in the ‘05 Hamilton Russell Walker Bay Chardonnay, there was no way we weren’t going to give this ruby dark garnet Pinot Noir a try, and we thought it only appropriate to open one with Sally and Joel Goldberg, who’ve actually visited this estate. It offers rich smoky plum and black cherry flavors and aromas anchored with a nice earthy base; well structured for at least five years of development and improvement, and yet quite accessible now, showing a distinctive sense of finesse and refinement. Joel offered the following impressions: “Just gorgeous; opulent, yet elegant at the same time, a rare commodity in Pinot, I think; so clearly New World, but not over the top.” I’d agree on each count, as this is also clearly world class Pinot Noir. From low-vigor, stony, clay-rich soil, with a cool maritime mesoclimate, producing naturally tiny yields of under 30 hl/ha; aged 9 months, 100% 228 liter French Oak Barrels - Alliers 82% “Tight Grain” 18%; 1st fill - 42%, 2nd fill - 17%, 3rd fill - 30%. 100% Malolactic, 5,380 cases produced. Find this wine

Imported by Vineyard Brands, Inc., Birmingham, AL

2004 Rochioli Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, 14.2% alc.: We opened this smoky tinged ruby garnet with Wyncroft’s Jim Lester, who’s always up for investigating the varieties of the Pinot Noir experience, and it didn’t disappoint in the least, offering up rich, spicy, smoky black cherry flavors and aromas overlaid with a subtle creaminess and chock full of that classic Rochioli personality. Lester added impressions of “savory, not a flaw, perfectly made; Burgundian; doesn’t have the obvious faults that I associate with California Pinot.” This is indeed a beautiful wine, but there’s no reason to be in any hurry to open it right away, because it has ample structure and depth to age and improve for at least another three to five years. Find this wine

2002 Longfellow Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, 14.4% alc., $35: The local distributor gave me a sample of this ever-so-slightly-cloudy ruby garnet, telling me that it’s really good. “It got 90 points,” he added, not telling me who the generous benefactor of said points was. I performed a web search and found that it has indeed received some good press (but couldn’t find 90 points worth, although I really didn’t search that long and that’s really not important to us anyway), so we opened this to have with a chorizo and green bean omelet topped with some nice goat cheese to decide for ourselves. We were at first struck by the heat it showed on both the nose and in the mouth, accompanied by almost searing acidity. After about 40 minutes however, these tone down nicely so that the smoky (wood smoke is really the dominant characteristic of this wine), earthy black cherry and dark plum flavors and aromas, all shaded with a little leather, come to the fore and give a very good account of themselves. The acids are still zippy, and there’s a good tannic backbone to this, so given the concentration and intensity it shows on its medium-full bodied frame, there’s no reason to think that it’s not still on the way up, with at least another two or three years of improvement and some staying power after that. All in all, a pretty darned nice Pinot Noir; just remember to give it some air before you try it. Find this wine

2005 Castle Rock Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Reserve, 14.5% alc., $21.99: Ruby dark garnet color, with a stingy nose giving only some grudging earthy, smoky black cherry, but it picks things up nicely on the palate, with rich, creamy oak, black cherry and plum flavors with subtle earthy undertones. Decent structure, with moderate tannins, good acidity and a reasonable finish; not too heavy, not too extracted, not too much oak. A nice RRV Pinot Noir for under $20?! It is if you figure in a 10% case discount, and even if it’s not going to win many blind tastings, it’s worth buying by the case. Kim likes it, and so do I. Find this wine

2001 Edmunds St. John San Luis Obispo Syrah Bassetti Vineyard, 13.7% alc.: Skip Telgard, the owner of Leland, Michigan’s Bluebird Restaurant opened this slightly cloudy dark garnet Syrah for us during a recent visit to that fine establishment. It shows a slightly barnyard-y nose of leathery black plum and blackberry shaded with hints of iodine, following through on the palate with more of the same characteristics, both earthy and rich at the same time. Full bodied, with big structure, but very smooth and accessible with some air, as more leather emerges in the flavor profile. Pure excellent California Syrah, permeated with Steve Edmunds’ fine touch, it shows great promise for further development, so drink or hold.  "Bassetti Vineyard is in a small valley, surrounded by the massive coastal hills around Cambria, just a couple of miles from the Pacific. The vines grow, for the most part, on a knoll that is comprised, primarily, of volcanic rock. Growing season is generally long and very mild, so ripening is slow, and late. This is real cold-climate Syrah.

Approximately 3 and1/2 tons were picked in the fourth week of October, and de-stemmed into small, open-top fermenters, and during the 11 day cuvaison, the cap was punched down manually 2-4 times each day. The wine was pressed, at dryness, into 19 year old French puncheons. It was racked at roughly 6 month intervals, and again before bottling, in July of 2003." – from the Edmunds St. John website Find this wine

2001 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Reserva, 13.5% alc., $23: Dark garnet in color, with a boatload of oak on the nose that gives it a caramel-vanilla character that I probably would have enjoyed 15 years ago, but just seems to get in the way of some red currant and cherry flavors and aromas when it’s first poured. However, give it an hour’s worth of air, and much (but not all) of the more objectionable woody character soaks in to the rich, ripe fruit and a nice leathery undertone emerges. Medium full to full bodied and deceptively well structured, giving no reason not to think that it won’t continue to develop and improve for at least five to eight years, but then, there’s no reason not to open one tonight either, with the qualification that I would certainly give it an hour in a decanter before drinking. I’d like to try one of these and one of the following selections from an older vintage to see just how they evolve with ten years or more. Made from old vine Tempranillo (85%), with the balance split between the Graciano and Mazuelo. Aged in French Limousin barrels for a minimum of 24 months, followed by as much as 4 years or more in bottle, and made only in the best vintages. Find this wine

2000 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Gran Reserva, 13.5% alc., $30: Brown sugar and mint stand out on the nose when this dark garnet is poured straight from the bottle; on the palate, it offers deep and fairly dark black cherry along with a broad spectrum of red and black currants and berries, all shaded with earthy undertones and the afore-mentioned oak induced accents. Thick, rich and substantial, even plum, with good structure and considerably more depth than the Reserva, and like that one, some air really helps it to soak up the excessive oak influence, and in fact, I like it just fine. Made from old vine Tempranillo (85%), Graciano and Mazuelo, aged up to 30 months in oak and at least 4 years in the bottle. Produced only from vintages classed as “excellent” or “very good”.
Find this wine

Marqués de Cáceres imported by Vineyard Brands, Inc., Birmingham, AL

2000 Castello di Bossi Girolamo Toscana IGT, 13.5% alc.: This deep, dark garnet beauty is all Merlot, and damned if Kim and I don’t like it a lot.  It exudes a lovely perfumed nose of black currant, blackberry, black cherry and dark chocolate, with subtle floral overtones and just a hint of stemminess way down deep; these impressions follow through on the palate with wonderful depth, excellent structure and a lingering finish that should grow even longer as the silky tannins gradually evaporate over the next several years.  I don’t often use “classy” to describe a wine, but in this case, it fits.  In fact, I find it almost reminiscent of a fine Ridge something or other from the early to mid ‘90s, particularly in the way that it makes a real style statement.  A thoroughly modern wine in the best sense of the term; many thanks to Steve Kolody for this delicious treat.
Made from 100% Merlot, produced in La Cantina, located 875-1,060 ft. above sea level, with a western exposure and a clay and stone soil composition; the vineyard consists of 45 acres planted from 1970 through 1995, with a density of 2,160 vines per acre. The vines are planted in the Spur pruned cordon method, with yields of 2 tons per acre.  Macerated for 18-20 days, with pump overs for extraction; aged for two years in Allier barriques, followed by an additional 3 years in bottle prior to release from the winery.  
Find this wine

Imported by Winebow Inc., New York, NY

We’ve tasted through a number of selections from the Australian producer 9 Stones over the last several weeks, and we’ve generally liked what we tried. They make three Shiraz from three different appellations that are otherwise treated almost exactly the same. We started with the ‘04s, then moved on to two of the ‘05s.

2004 9 Stones McLaren Vale Shiraz: Dark garnet color, with a pretty nose of ripe dark plum and berry laced with a bit of tar; a sweet note on the nose isn’t as prevalent on the palate. Full bodied, with good depth and length; well structured, more acidic than tannic, and indeed, the acids border on shrill and excessive at this point, even when paired with a deep-dish pizza heavily dosed with Benton’s Bacon. Find this wine

2004 9 Stones Barossa Shiraz: Dark garnet color, fading to pink at the rim; shy nose of sea air and dark plum and berry. Flavors almost seem a bit flat compared to the McLaren Vale, giving dusty dark plum, blackberry and beet root, with good acids, medium tannins and good balance overall. Fairly rich, but certainly no gobby fruit bomb (that’s not what any of these are all about); with air, some creamy oak reveals itself and not necessarily in a bad way. Find this wine

2004 9 Stones Hilltops Shiraz: Dark garnet color, fading to purple-pink at the rim; the tarry dark plum and blackberry nose leads into ripe, earthy, tarry black plum and blackberry flavors; ripe, but not overly ripe, with good structure and balance. Some charred oak makes its presence known with a little air, but it’s a minor role well-played in the ensemble of components in the greater whole of the wine, and extended air helps it even more. A solid, food friendly Shiraz. “Hilltops is in the South-Western Slopes of the Great Dividing Range, situated around the rural towns of Young and Harden in Southern New South Wales. It is about four hours drive south of Sydney and about one and a half hours from Canberra the national capital. An historically important part of Australia, it has an established reputation as a producer of high quality stone fruit. The vineyards are mostly to the South East of Young, which is known as "The Cherry Capital of Australia" and there are about 1,000 acres under vine in the area. The region sits on a large granite rock, which over millions of years has weathered to produce deep topsoil, red coloured as it has mixed with ironstone sand blown in from the Red Centre of Australia. These deep well-drained soils are perfect for viticulture. An average altitude of 1,700 feet combines with a winter dominant rainfall to ensure a long and even ripening season that produces distinctly full-flavoured, yet not heavy wines. Because of the altitude, the grapes seldom suffer from heat stress.” – from the 9 Stones website  Find this wine

I mostly like the ‘04s, with the Barossa being my favorite and the Hilltops a close 2nd; the
objectionable acids in the McLaren Vale are problematic at this point. Here’re our impressions of two of the ‘05s.

2005 9 Stones Barossa, 14.3% alc., $11: Dark garnet color, not quite reminiscent of ink; tar, earth and deep, dark black fruit on the nose give way to plenty more of the same in the mouth, with very nice balance and presence. The smooth texture takes a back seat to the youthful fruit and a good dose of tannins that require either some time in a decanter or some years in the cellar. A nice slice of grilled red meat might make this more user friendly right now, but I’d probably opt for holding off until 2010 or so to open another. Machine and hand harvested in late April 2005. Fruit was crushed and de-stemmed, with fermentation in 20-ton rotary fermenters for 10 days, with frequent pump over. Following partial fermentation the pressings were added back to the free-run. The wine completed fermentation and was then stored in new and seasoned American oak hogsheads for 18 months. Filtered and bottled in early March 2007. Find this wine

2005 9 Stones McLaren Vale Shiraz, 14.2% alc., $11: Deep dark garnet in color, and leathery, almost Rhône-ishly so; much more approachable than the Barossa, though still in need of cellar time. Flavors and aromas of earthy black plum, black currant and blackberry shaded with the aforementioned leather and unencumbered with any excess oak to speak of. There IS some wood present, but all the big, youthful, rambunctious fruit soaks most of it up. Significant tannins, vibrant acidity and good length; drink now with grilled red meats of give it at least a few years to calm down a bit. Machine harvested in April 2005; fruit was crushed and de-stemmed then fermented in 20-ton capacity rotary fermenters for 7 days, with pump over 3 times daily. Wine was drained and pressed at .5 Baume, with the pressings added back to the free-run. Fermentation completed in a mix of new and seasoned American oak hogsheads for 18 months. Filtered and bottled in early March 2007.  Find this wine

9 Stones also makes a tasty Chardonnay that sees little oak and offers a pure expression of varietal character, as well as a Hilltops Cabernet-Merlot that we’ve yet to taste. Our impressions of these wines are much more positive than otherwise, and as pointed out, they’re built for at least short term aging.

9 Stones imported by Vineyard Brands, Inc., Birmingham, AL

Finally, here’s one last red that we tried to say some good things about, but simply couldn’t find any.

2005 Orin Swift The Prisoner Napa Valley Red Wine, 48% Zinfandel, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Syrah, 10% Petite Sirah, 2% Charbono, 15.2% alc., $35.99: I finally got a taste of this neighborhood crowd pleaser, thanks to a sample bottle from the local distributor, and, at first, I was going to state that I wouldn’t call the almost-opaque purple garnet a travesty or an atrocity, because it’s not quite THAT bad (although it’s not even close to anything that I’d refer to as real wine). But, the more I taste it, the more it impresses me as a real deviant-kind-of-grape beverage. There’s not much more than a little bramble-briar on the nose, and the fat-a$$ toast, mocha, toffee and root beer flavors obliterate any identifiable fruit. Full bodied, low in acids and a bit more than moderately tannic, this is a poster child for what some folks refer to as “spoofalated;” in short, it’s a manipulated, over-oaked wine.

“What kind of food would you drink this with,” I asked my better half, “ice cream, or some kind of fruit pie?” “Maybe the pie,” she replied, because it surely doesn’t work with a good New York strip (I knew it wouldn’t after the first sip, but went ahead with the match-up for the sake of documentation). We decided that, despite its sweet nature, it probably wouldn’t even work with BBQ beef or pork, because it doesn’t have the acidity to stand up to the fatty character of the meat. BBQ chicken, maybe? I don’t think so, and I’ll probably never find out, because I’m not inclined to ever put this in my mouth again, but I’d imagine that fans of Cinq Cepages will love it. The obviously Sine Qua Non-esque label is a real plus too (snort!), but that’s been hashed over already.  Find this wine

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time…

Reporting from Day-twah,